Dear Student,
As part of our health and safety plan for returning to campus, you will be required to undergo COVID-19 testing prior to arriving on campus. Proof of a negative test will be required to return to and access campus. If you already signed up to receive your test kit, or were advised that you do not need a test, you can disregard this email.
Lehigh University has partnered with Vault Health to provide you with an at-home saliva-based COVID-19 test to complete in advance of your return to campus. The cost of this test and Vault weekly on-campus surveillance testing is covered by the University and students should not expect any charges when participating. Please note that other tests will not be accepted for pre-arrival and arrival testing purposes.
For those who completed this process before the start of the fall semester, the requirements will be similar, and we have worked with Vault Health to streamline and make enhancements to the process. This email provides important guidance for ordering your test. It is critical that you order your test kit as soon as possible. You should complete and send back the test as soon as you receive it.
To order your prepaid test, please log in via this link <link was sent via email>. Please DO NOT forward this link to anyone else, as it is assigned specifically to you.
How to order your test
Please use your Lehigh email address as you create your Vault account. If you used a different email address for your account in the fall, you must create a new account using your Lehigh email.
Once you have logged in, provide the necessary information, including the mailing address where you will be physically located in the next one or two business days so that you will receive your test kit at that address. Be sure to complete the steps immediately to provide adequate time to receive and send back your test before traveling to Bethlehem. While the goal of this testing is to prevent traveling while unknowingly carrying the virus, if you are already in Bethlehem, you still need to order and complete a pre-arrival test, which will serve as a baseline test. Again, it is important that you submit your information, take your test, and mail it back as soon as possible so you will be able to receive your result before returning to campus.
Late arrivals - on or after February 1
Students planning to arrive on or after Feb. 1 should still request a pre-arrival test but should wait to take it until before you plan to arrive, allowing for mail and lab processing times.
Students living on campus who are not arriving until or after February 1 should email inhouse@lehigh.edu to arrange an alternate arrival date. Students living off campus who will not arrive until or after February 1 should register their arrival date for testing and scheduling purposes.
Students who test positive or are awaiting results
If you receive a positive test result, you should not travel and will not be able to immediately come to campus; it is likely you will also hear from your local public health entity. Consult with your doctor or primary healthcare provider for information about appropriate isolation and next steps. You should isolate for 10 days at home and not travel to Bethlehem. If you test positive or are awaiting a test result by your planned date of arrival, students living in residence halls should email inhouse@lehigh.edu to arrange an alternate arrival date, and students living off campus should fill out this form letting us know you will be delayed.
If you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 12 weeks, do not order this test. Students who tested positive for COVID-19 do not need to complete a pre-arrival or surveillance test if it has been within 12 weeks after you tested positive (students who tested positive on Nov. 8 or later and are arriving to campus by January 31 do not need to take a pre-arrival test). If you tested positive through a source other than Lehigh and have not notified the HWC, please indicate this by uploading your positive test results on the HWC patient portal with the required information such as your name, date of your test, the type of test (antibody tests are not accepted), and your results. Until this information is submitted, you will still be required to complete surveillance testing.
If you believe you have received this email in error and are not required to be tested, please contact inlutest@lehigh.edu.
Important details about the test:
- The test kit will be registered specifically to you, so it is important for only you to use the materials provided in your personal kit. Do not swap kits with other people in your household.
- Do not open the sample tube packaging until you’re ready to do the observed saliva collection during a virtual appointment with a Vault Health representative. Opening this sample tube ahead of time will invalidate your sample and will result in you needing to order another kit.
- Follow the instructions provided in the test kit for setting up a virtual appointment with a Vault Health representative to complete the observed saliva sample collection.
- Important: As part of setting up your account, you will be asked to upload a photo. For security purposes, Lehigh strongly recommends that you use a personal photo rather than a government-issued ID.
- You should not eat, drink, chew, or smoke anything for at least 30 minutes before giving the sample.
- You will receive a prepaid label and mailing envelope to return your specimen. After collecting your sample, follow the instructions provided for sending your sample to the lab in the pre-paid envelope. This should be done immediately after you provide your sample to allow for shipping time back to the testing center and processing of your test.
- Your test results will be available 2-3 days after the testing center receives your sample. You will receive an email notification when your results are available. Lehigh will also receive your test results, and this will serve as the required proof for those who test negative for COVID-19. If you have questions about the status of your test, please contact Vault Health directly at covid@vaulthealth.com.
For the full list of pre-arrival and arrival requirements, please reference the guide published on the website.
Questions and Contact Information:
- For all contact information, refer to the COVID-19 contacts resource page.
- If you have any questions about the status of your pre-arrival and arrival test results, contact Vault Health at covid@vaulthealth.com. Do not call the Lehigh University Health and Wellness Center for this information.
- For questions about COVID-19 related symptoms, contact the Lehigh University Health and Wellness Center at 610-758-3870.
- For questions about move-in and the arrival process for residential students, contact inhouse@lehigh.edu.
- If you believe you have received this email in error and are not required to be tested, please contact inlutest@lehigh.edu.
Sincerely,
Nathan Urban, Ph.D.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
David Rubenstein, Psy.D.
Executive Director, Health and Wellness Center